Home Computer Input

August 24, 1985|By Susanne Hupp of The Sentinel Staff

SUDDENLY, AFTER a couple of years of the computer industry's pronouncements on just why every home needs a computer, some people are still wondering whether they need one of the machines. For those who know they need one, the Electronic Industries Association and the United States Office of Consumer Affairs have the booklet How To Buy A Home Computer (Item 453N) for 50 cents. They also have a book called Introduction to Programming in BASIC (196N) for $4.50. For either publication, write the Consumer Information Center, Dept. RW, Pueblo, Colo. 81009. Include your name, address, the item numbers and a check for the proper amount.

THE COOL GARDENER

PEOPLE WHO come to Florida for perpetual summer are disappointed more often than not. For one thing, they soon discover that Florida summers are too hot and too buggy for outdoor anything: They are too hot for picnics, too hot for sunbathing and in particular too hot for gardening. Zipping outside just long enough to cut the grass is about the most a Florida gardener can manage during August. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service at Gainesville, however, suggests getting out early to do such relatively easy chores as fertilizing the centipede grass (it can be done in August for the last time this year), pruning the roses and pinching back mums or poinsettias for fall and winter blooming.

TAX AND ENERGY SAVINGS

TIME IS running out on federal tax credits for home energy-conservation measures. Tax credits on energy-conservation measures are set to expire on Dec. 31. So if you're planning to add insulation, or replace an inefficient heating and cooling system, now is the time to do it. Until Dec. 31 you can claim 15 percent of the cost up to $300 for some energy savers and if you install a renewable energy source such as a solar water heater, you can take a full 40 percent up to a maximum of $4,000.

A SHADE MORE VERSATILE

IF MINIBLINDS seem too institutional and sheer draperies too traditional, you may like the new Duette, an accordion-pleated fabric shade manufactured by Hunter Douglas. Made with double layers of a non-woven polyester in a honeycomb-like construction, Duette can be made in sizes up to 174 inches wide without seams. It comes in several pastel colors. There are no tapes and the drawstrings are hidden. It is especially well-suited to arched and oddly shaped windows and skylights. The non-woven polyester is resistant to fraying and is extremely durable and easy to dust and wash, according to a Hunter Douglas spokesman.